


Unwavering Loyalties

by ozuttly



Category: Sengoku Basara
Genre: Forced Confinement, M/M, Not A Happy Ending, Unfortunate Circumstances, terminal illness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-07
Packaged: 2018-05-25 05:25:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6182296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ozuttly/pseuds/ozuttly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Masamune-sama. He is alive; Kojuro has never had any doubt. Takenaka may try to convince him of his lord’s death, but he will never believe it. He would only believe if he saw Masamune-sama’s corpse with his own eyes, touched it with his own hands and felt it cold. The word of a snake is nothing to his unwavering belief, and his faith stays strong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unwavering Loyalties

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr Dialogue Prompt - "Do you ever wonder if the world would be better off without you?"

Takenaka visits him often. At first Kojuro thought that it was to gloat about his victory, to continue to play his pointless mind games and try to weasel his way into Kojuro’s head. At first, he is steadfastly resistant; he doesn’t respond to the taunting at all. He sits in the corner, thinking and planning, focused only on one thing. 

Masamune-sama. He is alive; Kojuro has never had any doubt. Takenaka may try to convince him of his lord’s death, but he will never believe it. He would only believe if he saw Masamune-sama’s corpse with his own eyes, touched it with his own hands and felt it cold. The word of a snake is nothing to his unwavering belief, and his faith stays strong. 

*

Takenaka tries to converse with him, sometimes. At first he ignores him entirely, but slowly he finds the isolation gnawing at him. Takenaka is the only one who comes into the room, bringing him food and water along with his only human contact. It’s a sound plan - attempting to establish trust by denying the prisoner any view of the outside world, outside of that one, precious contact. On lesser men it probably would have worked. 

Kojuro has unwavering faith in Masamune-sama. He has unwavering faith in himself, as well, and his frustration with Takenaka’s mindgames fuels his hatred and keeps him from giving in. 

He converses with him. Never about important things. Mere idle talk to fill the long hours of isolation, and even then, Kojuro is stubborn. Every time he leaves, Takenaka asks for him to give in, and every time he tells him, bluntly, to go fuck himself. 

Takenaka smiles like a cunning cat, and always responds that he’ll be back with his next meal. 

*

Takenaka’s illness is obvious, sometimes. He tries to hide it, from both Toyotomi himself and their troops, but Kojuro is observant. He has always been, a requirement for growing up with a ward like Masamune-dono, and he notices the signs. Takenaka’s breath rattles in his chest, and sometimes even the simplest of activities leaves him winded. His visits and conversations get shorter as time goes on, and one day, he doesn’t show up at all. 

A younger man comes in his stead, his hair the same shade of silver but his eyes sharper and simpler. This man is not a schemer but a tool, willing to throw his all into completing what his lord tells him to. He reminds Kojuro briefly of Sanada Yukimura as he roughly places the bowl of porridge in front of him. 

“Hanbei-sama is busy today. He has asked me to bring you your meal in his stead,” the man - more a boy, really, with how thin and lanky and young he looks - grinds out, and Kojuro can see the frustration in his features. 

He’s angry that Hanbei brings him his meal ever day. He thinks such a task is beneath him, and he thinks that Kojuro is somehow tainting their military’s tactician. He’s painfully easy to read, and it makes Kojuro want to laugh. 

“He’s unwell, you mean,” he supplies, and the boy’s eyes narrow dangerously. He has a sword by his side that his fingers twitch towards, but he seems to halt himself at the last moment. 

“Hanbei-sama has graciously given you nourishment,” he says instead, his voice sharper than the blade he had been reaching for. “Eat it and be grateful.” 

*

Takenaka returns the next day, his skin a shade paler than normal. 

“I wish you wouldn’t tease Mitsunari-kun,” he says as he walks in and places the meal down. “He’s a very straightforward young man. Sometimes he gets too caught up in his ideas.” 

So the boy had pestered Takenaka about his illness, then. Good. Kojuro may not be able to do much, but he can at least throw that much of a wrench into Takenaka’s plans. 

“I merely told him that you were unwell,” he replies, and Takenaka clicks his tongue in distaste. They fall silent as Kojuro eats, Takenaka watching the movement of his mouth like a hawk. The indecency of his thoughts are clear across his face, with the lustful curve of his lips, but Kojuro ignores it. He has long since known that Takenaka wants to take him to bed. 

Had circumstances been different, he probably would have agreed.

*

For the next three days, Mitsunari brings him his meals. His shoulders grow consecutively tighter after each passing visit, the shadow across his face darker. 

Takenaka’s condition must be getting worse. 

*

“Do you ever wonder, Katakura-kun?” Takenaka looked frailer than usual. Kojuro wonders how he managed to hide his illness for so long, when it’s this clear. Perhaps the only reason Toyotomi seems unaware is because he wants to be that way. It’s the only thing that makes sense, and it disgusts Kojuro. Masamune-sama would never react in such a cowardly way to a subordinate’s sickness. Pretending a problem doesn’t exist didn’t solve it. “If the world would ever be better off without you?”

The words aren’t really directed at him. He knows it. He knows it as surely as he knows that Takenaka’s death is quickly approaching. They’re playing a waiting game now, banking on which will survive longer; Takenaka or Kojuro’s stubbornness. The winner is already clear, but Takenaka does not plan on throwing the fight. 

“No,” he says, and Takenaka barely flinches but he can tell that his words have startled him. “I exist in this world to serve Masamune-sama. I would not inconvenience my lord by feeling sorry for myself whenever an inconvenient situation crops up.”

Takenaka stares at him, wide eyed, and then he laughs. It’s long and hysterical, and Kojuro is surprised that he doesn’t begin to cough. He collapses, though, falling against Kojuro. Kojuro allows the contact, if only because he knows that he is close to winning. 

“You really are dedicated, aren’t you, Katakura-kun,” Takenaka says, and there’s something like genuine fondness on his face. Kojuro stares at him, unmoving, and Takenaka slowly moves forward. 

Their lips touch. It’s not a passionate kiss, or anything of the sort. It’s chaste and closed mouthed, and the exact opposite of what Kojuro had come to expect. But he doesn’t push Takenaka away. 

“I’m not going to give up on you, you know,” Takenaka says, his voice soft and breathy in his ear. 

Kojuro knows. 

He also knows that it really doesn’t matter either way.


End file.
